Taken on its own terms and in the context of a changed world, the cynical
retooling of John Carpenter's gritty 1976 siege movie "Assault on Precinct
13" (which was based on an even earlier film, the western "Rio Bravo") is a
tension machine that's just taut enough to warrant a ride. It's New Year's
Eve in snowy Detroit, and the rundown 13th Precinct police station is
closing its doors forever. Members of the force and support staff are moving
to new headquarters. Meanwhile, two cops and a secretary are in the old
precinct building, packing up and preparing for a midnight celebration. The
man in charge of this skeleton crew is Jake (Ethan Hawke), a young officer
relegated to a desk job after an ill-fated assignment undermined his mental
health. Jake, veteran policeman Jasper (Brian Dennehy) and sassy file clerk
Iris (Drea de Matteo) think they scored a cushy detail, but they're
unprepared to watch over a handful of criminals when a prison transport is
forced to stop at the 13th Precinct during a blizzard. Even more troubling,
a cadre of armed assailants shows up to kill one of the prisoners, mobster
Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne), regardless of collateral damage. Lives
are at risk, and Jake's only recourse is to team with the untrustworthy
Bishop and the other perps to fend off the attackers. With Gabriel Byrne as
a brutal, high-ranking cop, and Maria Bello as Jake's therapist, and John
Leguizamo and Ja Rule as two of the cons.